A Change In Routine
by Honestly tell me a lie
Summary: All that would come in the future they were still in the present. Taking in the moment, trying to imprint it in their memories forever. It would haunt him, crush her, and forever change the routine of their idea of love.
1. A Change in Routine

He had knocked on her window at about midnight, using the lattice on the side of the house as a ladder. He had almost slipped once, threatening his mission. He was going to abduct her, in a way, blindfold her and take her away. It was foolproof; he had been planning it for weeks, every moment of the adventure. He had even asked for tips from his friend, never revealing his true intentions.

Peering into the dark room, he could make out the outline of a petite figure. She was in bed as usual, he knew her daily routine. As he slowly opened her window, she moved her blanket over her head to protect herself from the chilly air coming in. He smiled, she always wore the same tank top to bed, not much to keep the warmth in. She was a girl of routines.

From his back pocket, he pulled out a piece of black silky fabric. As if swayed silently in the breeze, he prepared himself to quiet her if she screamed. She was never one for surprises.

Shaking her shoulders gently, he whispered her name into her ear. She mumbled his name groggily, before she opened her eyes. Before she could scream, he planted a hand over her mouth, and placed the blind fold over her eyes. He grabbed her small hands and caressed them with his thumbs as he pulled her out of bed and out of the window.

Gently, he lifted her from her hips to the ground as she neared the bottom of the lattice work. She giggled and turned around blindly. She was, indeed, beautiful. Anyway you looked at her hair, her smile, it was all perfect, every detail. Her clothing was decent, but just enough to peak his curiosity. His eyes had never seen her like this before.

He grabbed her hands again, and tugged her forward. She complied, stepping forward slowly. Too slowly. With their hands still connected, he made a run for it. She had stumbled at first, but adapted to his pace, keeping up nicely with his athletic legs.

Soon, the hard pavement was replaced by crackling leaves and snapping twigs. He slowed his pace to moved branches away, as not to cause her any harm. She was in his hands now, and he wasn't going to endanger what he waited so long for.

He touched her soft lips in a weak attempt to quiet her squeals as he dragged her deeper into the woods. The black fabric tied around her eyes defeated any hopes of catching a glimpse of where she was headed; but she didn't care. She felt safe with him.

As the leaves and sticks broke beneath their feet, they moved forward. No one would be out this late at night, maybe Odd, but only to spy on them. How many times had he seen them kiss anyway? Like it came as a big shock to anyone, save Sissi, that they were together. Yet Odd still found it humorous to poke fun at the two, since they still blushed.

Who wouldn't? She was perfect in his eyes, and he was perfect in hers. Infallible to each other, except the times they quarreled, when they would find every misplaced hair on the others head. None of that mattered to them in the long run; they were like any other teenage couple, and more.

When they stopped, he moved in back of her and started kissing trails down her neck. Giggling, she turned around to capture his lips in hers.

"Can you take the blindfold off now, please?"

Moving around her again, he gave one side of the black cloth a light tug. As the fabric drifted to the ground, her eyes shot open.

There before her, was an open field. Above her was a sky full of stars, and a brilliant full moon. She could hear the crickets and the occasional owl hoot, but it didn't scare her. She was content, he was here, they were together. Everything was perfect for once. Once upon a time, that must be where they were. In a fairly tale land, this must be magic.

He smiled at her reaction; the plan was going as planned. But don't plans normally do that? Especially his, he was the master mind of all romantic plans; and he knew it. When as the last time Odd has actually made up his own picnic in the dusk of day, with candles that blow out at just the right time?

She sat down, and motioned for him to sit next to her. He nodded and sat down, moving his arm to rest around her shoulders as she lay her head on his. Moving closer, she kept to him for warmth. He had been right, her pajamas hadn't been very warm at all, and she hadn't noticed until now. It didn't matter now, though. Their hearts were warm enough to heat the school for a year (which they could use with the amazing jump in gas prices, do they have that in France? I don't know, xP).

Sighing, she nuzzled his shoulder blade. It didn't matter it was midnight, it didn't matter her parents would ground her for eternity when they found out. She only had half a month left in France anyway, she needed to enjoy it. Enjoy him, to be more exact. Her whole life would revolve around him for the next month, and it would be the worst part of leaving. A change of routine for her, and a change of life for him.

He would never see the world the same after she left, it was as if he suddenly went color blind. He was distant, his world was dull. He would check between each class to see if she had sent him an e-mail, to the point where Jerimie would have to put a lock on his laptop. His cell phone would be on 24/7, due to the time zone differences. Midnight calls wouldn't come as a surprise, more of a relief to him. He would think back to that night, this night, when it happened.

She would drive herself crazy trying to form a new routine of life in Japan. Her grandfather and grandmother would have already moved in, and would become completely unpredictable. School would have been much easier in France, where she was organized and in control. Complete loss of familiarity would cause her to change, and would soon be the lead cause of stress in her life.

All that would come in the future; they were still in the present. Taking in the moment, trying to imprint it in their memories forever. It would haunt him, crush her, and forever change the routine of their idea of love.


	2. So Many Regrets

She had tears in her eyes as she approached the gates to Kadic. In one week, she would be on a plane. No one knew, except the principal. Had he told Sissi? If she knew, she wasn't telling anyone. Maybe they'd all suspect she ran away, her family was murdered. What about her friends? What about Ulrich? She knew they deserved to know, but how could she tell them?

It was official; there was no easy way out. What would happen if Millie and Tamiya found out? Would they use it as their story of the week? How would Ulrich react? Oh poor Ulrich, she should have told him sooner, she knew it. Regrets, so many regrets. Why couldn't she just stay and get a dorm in the high school? They had boarders, after all. She didn't have to share a room or anything, they could arrange for her to have a single.

No, of course not. Her parents never trusted her; they wouldn't leave her in France. Not alone, anyway. She wouldn't be alone! There were her friends, they may be in a different school, but she had friends! They were always there for her when she needed them, and they would always be. Wouldn't they?

They could keep in touch; she could give them her new phone number, a new e-mail just for them. Everything would work out, it had to.

As she sat down, she could feel confused eyes on her. Someone had squatted down in front of her, and tilted her chin up from looking at the cement ground at her feet. He used his thumbs to gently brush away the falling tears, as he looked her in the eyes. There was so much worry behind those eyes, so much love.

Too much of anything, however, can be bad. She broke down into sobs, as he gently pulled her closer to him. He had never seen her like this before, in so much pain. Between hiccups and tears, she finally got it out to him.

She was moving to Japan in one week, 7 days. Only 7 more days to hold her and comfort her. His mind went blank, and soon he could feel tears in his eyes too. Yumi was leaving, she really was. This couldn't be solved by a return to the past and a lottery ticket. The pain he felt was truly heartbreak, but the worst was yet to come.

The rest of the gang had stood back and stared. Aelita was now crying freely, and hanging onto Jerimie, who seemed to find great interest in the ground. Odd had his hand on Ulrich's shoulder, and was watching sadly as the scene unfolded.

When her tears had finally dried, the bell decided the ring. She sniffled and stood on her wobbly legs, and Ulrich followed. He had offered to walk her to the infirmary, but she had declined. The pain would go away with time. Or so she had thought at the time.

He walked with his head down for the rest of the day, hand shoved deep into his pockets. If he had lifted his head, you would see the side effects of his tear prone eyes. At lunch, he had retired to his room, feeling to melancholy to socialize.

Yumi had felt invisible during her classes, alone. Guilt had overcome her heart, and grief was taking over her mind. She had messed up big time, and she knew it. More regrets, more pain.

When the day ended, he had still offered to walk her home. She had agreed, wanting to spend as much time with him as humanly possible. He was going to be gone in 7 days, eliminated from her life. No more hugs, no more kisses. An absence of the love she had longed for. She was about to lose everything she had worked so hard to get, and she had no choice. Her parents were ruining her life, and they didn't even notice.

They were crushing his heart, as well. From the moment he met her, he had known he was in love. They had always been friends, until three months ago. Those months had gone by like minutes, seconds ticking off a clock. She was slipping through his fingers, he had no control over the situation, and he hated it. His loved one was leaving him forever, and he had yet to realize the true difficulty of a long distance relationship.

The future was grim for the two, losing touch with each other only two years after the move. Neither would move on to a new relationship, as much as Odd would encourage Ulrich to do. Yumi would stick to her school work, and soon to be her job. She had no time for relationships; they were a waste of energy. The memory of her first love would stick with her forever, reminding her that he was still out there somewhere.

Their love for each other would never be forgotten, dulled to mere memories. In seven years, however, they would be reunited. With 4 days less than the original seven, can their hearts mend, and memories become reality? An intern in charge of three French men, their tour guide and translator, plus a lonely business man on a three day trip to Japan. The outcome, something unforeseen.

**AN: little pre-two shot to my recent story Three Days. Someone wanted me to write a little more to it, so there it is. Read and review meh lufflies, ;P**

**Honestly tell me a lie**


	3. A Cruel Punishment for Love

**Dedicated to: Heather. What a loser you are, ;). (If you are her you'll know what I'm talking about, xP)**

They had all piled into a taxi as soon as they heard. Jim wouldn't mind, this was an emergency. Each one had gotten the same message on their cell phone:

Goodbye,

Y.

Ulrich was fidgeting in his seat, he couldn't keep still! She was about to get on a plane to a different country, and he would never see her again. A cruel punishment for love. Odd was staring at his friend, trying to calm him down. He wasn't usually like this; Ulrich had become a master in controlling his feelings.

On the other side of the taxi, Aelita was crying softly. Jerimie had put his arm around her to try and comfort her, but to no avail. His eyes were full of grief; Yumi was like a sister to him. How could she possibly leave them?

When the cab stopped, they rushed out and into the gates of the airport. Stopping only to ask what plane was heading for Japan, they searched for her endlessly.

Until they spotted a Japanese girl sobbing quietly by a window. Her black cloths were wrinkled, and her hair was tied up into a tight bun. A small boy was sitting next to her, swinging his feet aimlessly back and forth.

Aelita was the first one to approach her, lifting her head from her hands. Enveloping her into a hug, she rocked back and forth, her crying getting lighter. Jerimie and Odd followed quickly after, while Ulrich watched from afar.

She looked stunning from where he was standing, a beauty he had only seen once or twice before. Tears were dripping off her chin, and falling gently to the carpet beneath her feet. Why must she waist her tears on sadness? Those tears should be shed for an engagement, a wedding. Even her first child, but not for the sadness of a departure.

That was when he walked over, and kneeled in front of her. The scene of last weeks confession was replaying in his head. He slowly brushed her tears away, and kissed her tear stained cheek.

"Don't cry," his voice was shaky, uncertain at least.

She managed a smile, "I won't, as long as you all are with me." Her eyes were still sealed shut, only opening them to look into his dark olive green eyes. "But I'm leaving, and you guys can't come with me." Her expression dropped, and another year slid down her face.

"We can always call you," Aelita put in, with a smile, "or if you have an e-mail, we could make them too. We can always stay in touch!"

Odd had his goofy smile on again, "Plus, it's not like you can ever forget us anyway! We'll always be with you, in your mind."

He had been right; they would never forget each other. They could stay in touch for a few years, too. Bonds would never weaken, but memories would start to fade. Every once in a while she would get a call, but when she lost her cell phone, she would never hear from them again.

Over the loud speaker, a woman announced the final boarding call for the flight to Japan. Her eyes started to water again, and she fell into Ulrich arms.

"Shh, don't cry, everything will be alright. It's okay."

"It is not okay!" She shot out of her seat and turned around. This wasn't fair, what had she done to deserve this?

He took her by the shoulders and turned her around, "Yumi, I love you, and there is nothing more heartbreaking than to see you leaving. I never thought this day would come, but her it is. Nothing can change what it happening, but you have to know we are all here for you." Tears were now streaming down his face, and she could only stare.

"I love you too," she looked around at the gang. She hugged each one, kissing Ulrich one last time before grabbing her carry on. "Don't forget me, please."

In unison, they all looked at her and said, "Never."

With that, she walked through the door, and through the passageway onto the plane. (**AN what are those thingies called anyway?**) Taking a seat next to her brother, she closed her eyes and slid down further into her seat. The ping of her cell phone startled her, and she opened the message.

We miss u, call when u get there.

U+O+A+J.

She smiled, and began typing on her cellular device.

I miss u to. Will do.

Y.

Just as she pressed send, the pilot announced all electronic devices should be turned off. Buckling her seat belt, Yumi looked past her brother and out the window. Through the glass, she could see four sullen figures. One lifted up a rectangular item, and seemed to smile.

Leaning back into her seat again, she prepared for her flight. She was about to start a new life, with friends 5 hours away to help her. Her heart ached, but she knew she had to be strong. For her brother, her family, and for herself.

* * *

Ulrich had paid the taxi, and given the driver a generous tip. They had all made it back to their dorms unnoticed, at 7 in the morning. There were no classes today, being Sunday, so they didn't have to worry about getting up for school.

In Ulrich's and Odd's dorm, the sulking had begun. Kiwi was being pet lethargically by Odd, who was staring into space. Ulrich was lying on his back, counting the dots on the ceiling.

"She's gone," he still couldn't believe it. He was in love with her, always had been, and now the closest he could get to her was a long distance phone call.

Snapping out of his trance, Odd responded, "I know buddy, but things will work out…" even he couldn't believe his own words. What about XANA? Things were difficult enough with four people, now only three?

As if on cue, the quiet ring of a phone went off. Looking at the caller ID, the brown haired boy shot out of bed.

"Yumi! You don't know how much,"

"I miss you." The noise a busy street could be heard in the background, but all he heard was the voice of an angel, his angel.

Yumi.

**AN/ rather odd ending, I know, but I am being rushed by someone –cough- :P.**

**Read and review and I'll…love you? Uh…o.o. nvm.**


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